Knox

Formed January 1, 1825 (36^th county)

Knox County (49,971), Galesburg (30,047)

The Knox County courthouse is a classic Gothic style stone building.  It was built in 1885 at Cherry and Tompkins streets.  Elijah E. Myers was the building designer.  There was an 1840 courthouse also in Galesburg.  United States Highway 150 is two blocks north of the site.  Knox County was created on January 1, 1825 from Fulton County as the 36^th county.  Henderson (1830), Knoxville (1831), and Galesburg (1873) have been the county seats.  United States Secretary of War, Henry Knox, was the inspiration for the county name.  Galesburg is named for city founder, George Washington Gale. 

Knox County government consists of a sheriff and 15 Commissioners.  Fifteen Circuit Court Judges serve Knox, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, and Warren counties.  The county is in northwestern Illinois.  Peoria, Illinois is southeast and Davenport, Iowa is north of the county.  The county center is 9.9 miles Southeast of Galesburg nearer Knoxville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Henry, Stark, Peoria, Fulton, Warren, and Mercer counties. 

The area of the county is 716 square miles.  It is 21 out of 102 in the state.  It ranks 29 out of 102 in population in the state.  It has a density of 69.8 persons per square mile making it 35 out of 102 in the state.  Knox County has 81.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 74 enters the county from Henry County to the north and turns east into Peoria County.  United States Highway 34 comes from Henry County, north, and exits into Warren County, west.  United States Highway 150 parallels Interstate Highway 74 from Henry to Peoria counties.  The county is rectangular with Galesburg in the far western part of the county.  Galesburg is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 60.1% of the county population.  This county is in the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.